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Republicans sure are concerned about bipartisanship all of a sudden, offering their sage advice to incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi about just how she should approach governing. Because, you know, the little lady must be in over her head. The latest comes from Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), who wants her to know that the best thing for her and the nation would be to be bipartisan and give Republicans what they want, rather than do her constitutional duty of oversight of Individual 1 and his government.
What's remarkable is that he told the Washington Examiner this after the disastrous televised meeting between Trump, her, and Chuck Schumer: "If she wants to spend two years in investigations and possibly an impeachment proceeding, that’s going to make it very, very difficult to get anything done, other than what we absolutely have to get done like the debt limit and passing a budget." He watched the leader of his party say "I am proud to shut down the government."
That's not the end of his advice, though. "But if she decides, which I think would be much wiser for her, that this is about actually doing what the American people are looking for, which in fact will be better for her electorally in 2020," and he said that with a seemingly straight face after the Democratic blow-out of last month. No, he says, "she will have to figure out, how do you come up with this way, not just to give both sides something, but to figure out how to get some of these folks who are in the middle to come together."
Hey, genius, there is no middle in the GOP. If there were, you wouldn't have the guy in the Oval Office you all keep propping up. Including Rob Portman, who pompously declared in October 2016 that "I can no longer support [Trump]," and has gone to vote with Trump 94 percent of the time.
It's almost as rich as Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy—the guy who so famously said in June, 2016 "There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump […] swear to God!"—that Pelosi really should shy away from investigating Trump. He's also the one who said out loud "Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable right? But we put together a Benghazi Special Committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping."
Right. I'm sure she'll take all this advice in the spirit in which it is given, and respond accordingly. Just probably not as profanely as most of us would do.
